La Bonne Chère

Two Moldavians, a Frenchman and a Venezuelan enter a (wine) bar… What do they order? The whole map! After crossing paths while chefs at Le Wine Bar des Marolles and Odette, Alexandru Sapco and Jean-Jacques Francès (in the kitchen), along with Lorah Sutac and Jérémie Stoecklin (in the dining room) are now feeding foodies at La Bonne Chère, a Marollen bistro that has remained mostly in its original state (red brickwork, heavy velvet curtains, timeworn mirrors, dim lighting). That day at lunch, their heavy-hitting surf ‘n’ turf menu (and prices) sure matched their ambitions: a beautiful roast octopus tentacle, arm in arm with homemade blood pudding, exotically seasoned with chimichurri, mango and pineapple; veal sweetbreads and cooked gray shrimp in (a slightly too powerful) bisque; before a cult-favorite cheesecake made with goat’s and Herve cheese, crowned with verjus jelly and enthroned on a beautiful buttery shortbread. // Molly Kale

FEELING THIRSTY? : Jérémie certainly has a way with wines: a German Riesling Trocken from Clemens Busch (€8 a bottle), a Moldovan red Aurore by Fautor (€46 a bottle), and around 20 gueuze beers, including those from the invincible Cantillon brewery.

PRICE: : Menus €35-55 and à la carte €70-76 (lunch), menu €80-85 (dinner).